^    Brownfields 2010  Cleanup Grant  Fact Sheet
    ™         Chattanooga, TN
EPA Brownfields Program

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states.
communities, and other stakeholders to work together to
prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse
brownfields. A brownfield site is real property, the
expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be
complicated by the presence or potential presence of a
hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. In
2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and
Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed to help
states and communities around the country cleanup and
revitalize brownfields sites. Under this law, EPA
provides financial assistance to eligible applicants
through four competitive grant programs: assessment
grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and
job training grants. Additionally, funding support is
provided to state and tribal response programs through
a separate mechanism.

Community Description

The City of Chattanooga was selected to receive two
brownfields cleanup grants. The Alton Park area of
Chattanooga (population 155,554) was once home to
the foundries, chemical plants, and textile mills that
made the city a thriving manufacturing hub. For nearly
a century, the area bustled with industrial jobs, local
businesses, and residential neighborhoods.  As
conditions declined, vacant properties in the area and
the Chattanooga Creek were used as illegal dumping
sites. The population declined, and today 96 percent of
residents are African-American.  An estimated 55
percent of Alton Park residents live below the poverty
level. A recent inventory of sites has identified more
than 206 brownfields. Cleanup of the target sites will
reduce human and environmental exposure to
contamination and help change the negative perceptions
that inhibit reuse of the sites. The city plans to use the
Old 36th Street Landfill site, which anchors the planned
Chattanooga Creek Greenway, for recreational space.
Cleanup of the Old Railroad property will make part of
the site suitable for commercial redevelopment,
improve the safety of the Alton Park Safe Walk area,
and allow for the use of restored wetlands as  an
educational experience for area residents.
                   Cleanup Grants

                   $400,000 for hazardous substances

                   EPA has selected the City of Chattanooga for two
                   brownfields cleanup grants. Hazardous substances
                   grant funds will be used to clean up the 54-acre Old
                   36th Street Landfill site at  100 E. 36th Street in the
                   Alton Park neighborhood. The site is contaminated
                   with polyaromatic hydrocarbons, predominantly
                   from foundry sands from numerous foundries in the
                   area. Grant funds will be used to design an effective
                   cleanup plan and support community involvement
                   activities. Grant funds also will be used to clean up
                   the 9.5-acre Old Railroad property consisting of
                   three adjacent parcels, two on Tennessee Avenue
                   and the third on W. 37th Street. The parcels were
                   used for unauthorized dumping before the city
                   acquired them. The site is contaminated primarily
                   with multiple polyaromatic hydrocarbons and
                   metals. Grant funds will be used to clean up area
                   wetlands and support community involvement
                   activities.

                   Contacts

                   For further information, including specific grant
                   contacts, additional grant information, brownfields
                   news and events, and publications and links, visit
                   the EPA Brownfields Web site
                   (http://www.epa.gov/brownfields).

                   EPA Region 4 Brownfields Team
                   (404) 562-8792
                   EPA Region 4 Brownfields Web site
                   (http: //www. epa.gov/region4/waste/bf)

                   Grant Recipient: City of Chattanooga,TN
                   423-424-4231

                   The information presented in this fact sheet comes
                   from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the
                   accuracy of this information. The cooperative
                   agreement for the grant has not yet been negotiated.
                   Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are
                   subject to change.
  United States
  Environmental
  Protection Agency
  Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 560-F-10-084
         Apr 10

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